Hell on Heels
by Sparkeii
Summary: Raphael helps a young policewoman in training and accidentally leads her to the guys' layer. Will she tell the world of the boys' existence? Or will she fall head over heels for one of the boys? Rated T for a few suggestive scenes later in the story, a bit of language and bloody scenes.
1. Chapter 1

**~Disclaimer; I don't own any TMNT characters. Just my own Oc's and storyline. Enjoy!:3~**

**Chapter 1: Got'cha**

I walked down the busy streets of New York, bumping past the hurried people roughly, and trying not to snap, angrily, at their rudeness. New Yorkers had no manners. I was so used to reserved politeness or Oregon, my home on the opposite coast. Or at least, the closest thing I had ever had to a home.

"Sparks? Sparks?! You there?!" the radio on my hip buzzed. I rolled my eyes and held the device to my thin pink lips.

"No. I'm afraid I've _died _in the last five minutes since you last asked. What do you want, Montana?"

" I just...I mean...just making sure you're...you know...ok." My co-worker's worried voice made my stomach turn.

"I. Am .Fine." I replied, snappily. What was it with these young male cops and worrying about me being able to handle myself? I got a higher score on my shooting test then any single one of them and I had been taking ninjutsu for a good 6 years now.

_Stupid testosterone... _I thought to myself.

"You sure? If not I could always stop by an-"

"If you stop by I will taz you." I put as much venom as I could into my voice.

"Yea, ok..."

"Josephine? Struggle on 9th street. Some sort of gun robbery...check it out." The grouchily old voice of my boss rattled. " And stop flirting, Montana. She's not into you. Give the girl a break."

I grinned and, with that, clicked the radio off and started running towards my new destination. I'd found in my few weeks here that everything was faster by foot.

I close my eyes for a few brief seconds, enjoying the feeling of the cool night air nipping at my heels, and the gentle city breeze blowing back my mid-length dark brown, almost black hair.

Boy did I love my job.

* * *

"There ya're, crafty bastard." Raphael snarled from his place on the rooftop. The thief below pushed his way through the people standing in front of him and pointing his gun at anyone who wouldn't move. Raphael watched him until he was almost out of sight, then followed him, jumping from one building to the next with the ease of a well trained gymnast. His leaps were graceful, like a feline hunting it's prey, with all the power of the oceans crashing waves. He loved the feeling of falling from one rooftop to land on another; he loved how his legs strained when he jumped from one railing to another and the thrill of being up so high. He pounced on top of the building above the thief, a slow grin easing across his face as the middle aged man ran into the alleyway.

"That's right. Run 'nto the alleyway. You'll be safe there." He smirked. He was just about the jump from his perch when he saw a young woman, possibly in her early 20's and wearing a police uniform, run into the alley after the thief with a taser in her hand. He followed after them, curious to see how this would go. Carefully he made his way to the railing on the the roof above the scene. With one look at the girl he could tell she was confident, which could either be a good thing or a bad thing. She was small, that was sure, standing no taller the 5'2 and slimly built. Her face was small and heart shaped, with a square, determined looking jaw. Her hard amber eyes glared at the thief that she followed with amazing stealth. Raphael had no doubt that, with her two Automatic Glock police model guns by her side, she would be fine. But if the thief knew what he was doing, he could easily over power her with strength. She really didn't look that strong, her arms thin and her shoulders narrow, framing her shapely figure and nicely sized breasts...Raph shook his head. No. He couldn't think like that. If she spotted him she probably would use those guns to shoot a hole through his shell. He jumped down, quietly, from the roof and hide behind a nearby dumpster, watching as the scene before him unfolded.

* * *

I slipped into the alleyway right behind the thief, choosing my footing carefully so that he couldn't hear me. When he finally reached a huge wire fence at the end of the alley, I lifted my taser and announced, loud and clear, "Turn around and put your hands behind your head."

The man stopped in his tracks. Slowly, he turned to face me, his face now white as snow. But as soon as his eyes raked themselves up my body, a huge grin replaced his once, terrified features. "Hey girly. I was beginning to wonder if anyone was really going to follow me or not. Didn't know I'd get so lucky as to get a girl as...nicely shaped...as you."

I blinked, instantly realizing I had walked right into a trap. Without hesitation, I fired my taser into the man's midsection and pulled out my two guns, not waiting watch the thief squirm from pain as electricity coursed through his body, and turned around. Now in front of me, a whole group of men stood, ages ranging from young teenagers to middle aged men, all having the design of a purple dragon on some section of their body. I raised my guns. "One step and I mow you down and chop you up into meatloaf." I warned. Suddenly my feet were no longer touching the ground and my guns where ripped from my grip. I squirmed around to be face to face with a very large, very intimidating blond haired man. He held my arms close to my body and grinned, a slow, evil grin. "Well, what do we have here? Nice to meet ou again, sweetie."

I struggled in the man's grasp. "What the hell are you talking about?! Who the hell are you?! Let me go!"

The man laughed. "Can't do darling. Sorry."

A sai suddenly appeared out of nowhere, landing itself quite solidly in the big man's fist. He yelled and dropped me, which might have hurt had I not taken the fall with a roll and stood to my feet. I instantly took my Kamae, the natural fighting posture I had been taught to take.

"She asked ya to put 'er down, Hun. I'd list'n ta the lady."

I turned around to see a figure with a backpack on standing in the shadows. I turned to face the trouble at hand. If the guy behind me decided to help me only to steal from me afterwards, I'd take care of that as it came. But to my surprise, the tall blond backed off and made a hand gesture to the people around him that made them instantly disband. "I got what I wanted. But I will be back, you can bet your scrawny turtle shell on that, Raphael." He said with a smirk, before running down the alleyway and jumping the fence. His huge form diapered into the night.

"Even cops need ta watch their back's." The form in the dark growled. I did a roll to the side, picking up my gun, and rolled forward again, standing only a few feet from the figure, gun at his forehead.

"Who are you, why did you help me, and where did you get your sai? I'm not sure those are legal to carrying on you."

The figure spat a few curses, then lifted another one of his sais to my throat. "Listen, lady. I jus' saved yer sorry ass, 'nd this is the thanks I get? What ever happen' to thank ya fer not letting me get rapped er worse?!" He snapped, his voice rising to almost a yell. I took a step back, but kept my gun up.

"Get out here in the light where I can see you." I ordered, ignoring him completely.

The figure laughed. "Ya don't want me ta do that, trust me..."

"Out. Now."

The figure sighed. "I didn't want ta have ta do this, girly..." he said. Before i could react, a smoke pellet was took my vision and I shot a few blind shots into the night. By the time the smoke disappeared the man had already left.

"Shit." I mumbled. I walked over to my other gun, sheathing both of the weapons when I saw a small trail of dark, fresh blood leading to a slightly open sewer cover. I grinned. "Got'cha."


	2. Chapter 2

**~Disclaimer; I do not own TMNT or any of it's character. But do enjoy the story! :3~**

**Chapter 2; Leopards and Their Spots.**

"Shit." Raphael mummered, clutching onto the bullet wound in his leg. He was lucky the shot only nicked him. "Shit, shit, shit. Leo's gonna kill me." He made his way through the sewers, trying to stop the bleeding coming from his leg as much as he could. Behind him he heard something crunching, making him turn his head. After a few moments he shook his head. "Stupid rats." He growled, then continued till he got to a wall with a few pipes sticking out of them. He grabbed and pulled each of them in a specific order and waited until the wall opened itself up to him and he entered the layer. The heavy wall slowly closed behind him as his brothers looked up from their projects to see Raphael. He sighed as their eyes grew at the sight of his bleeding leg. "Here goes nothing." He mumbled.

I followed the figure's blood trail until I caught up with him. He stood in front of a large wall with several different pipes hanging off of the side of it. He still wore a trench coat and that backpack, so I didn't get a good look at him, but I did see a green 3 fingered hand emerge from the man's coat. _Deformity? _I thought, feeling a twinge of guilt. _Is that why he wouldn't come out of the shadows? _

I pulled out my small notepad from my back pokect and took my pencil I had tucked away next to it, copying down the sequence the man pulled to open the wall. I watched in wonder as a room presented itself in front of the man. He stepped through, mumbling to himself, as I stood in awe and the wall sealed itself again.

"Josephine? Josephine! Answer me cadet!"

I pulled the radio off of my hip and put it to my mouth. "Yes sir. Here sir."

"Where are you?! We've been trying to get a hold of you since we heard gun shots coming from your way. I sent a few cadets your way and they all said you disappeared. Get your ass back to base young woman!"

I sighed. Guess I would have to come back here another time. But until I did, I wasn't going to tell anyone a word of this place. I didn't need anyone stealing my discovery from me. "Yes sir. Right away sir." I said into the radio, then started my way back out of the long sewers.

* * *

"Ouch, Donny! I'm fine. Jeez. Get off' me already..." Donatello sighed and got up , walking into his lab to try and find his medical kit as Leonardo paced anxiously in front of Raphael.

"What were you thinking?! A police woman, Raph? Do you know what she could do to us if she found out?!"

Raphael rolled his eyes and stood up, facing Leonardo. "Ya think I don't know?! I know what she _coulda_ done, Leo, but I made sure she didn' get da chance. 'Threats over. So stop pacin' like a mother hen wait'n fer her chicks to hatch and calm down!"

Leo stopped pacing and faced his brother, his voice steadily growing. "No, Raph. The threat is not over. You left your blood everywhere. You're _genetically modified_ blood. You might as well have made a billboard with our freaking faces and names in time square!"

Raphael clenched his jaw. He hadn't thought about that. "Well what was I suppose' ta do, oh fearless leader? Hm?! Sit by 'nd WATCH as she got BEAT'N like a hopeless, pathetic moron!? I ain't no skel, Leo!"

The two brothers were now standing nose to nose, glaring at each other. "Are you calling me a hopeless pathetic moron, Raphael?" Leo said slowly.

"Hey there, doctor coming through with doctor like doctorly business."Donatello said, prying his brothers apart carefully. He turned to face Raphael and said, pointing at the chair behind his red head brother, "Sit."

Raph mumbled something about not needing help, but sat down with a humph anyway. Don started to attend to his wounds when he felt a body looking over his shoulder. "Leo.." He started with a sigh, turning to face him. "...don't you have some meditation or training or something you were about to get to?"

Leo sighed. "We will talk after this, Raph. Don't think you got out of it." He said, giving Raph a pointed look before leaving the room.

"Whateva, father dearest." Raph growled.

"Hey guys, I was just at the grocery store and you wouldn't believe how hard it is to-Raph? Omigosh Raphael what happened to you?!" April ran over to the two teenage boys and crouched by Donatello, her slim face scrunched into a look of worry. "Are you ok?! Is he going to be ok Donny?!"

A slight smile slide across Donatello's face as he rolled his eyes at the extremities of April's worry. "Yes, April. He will be fine. I'm just going to bandage up the shot wound after sterilizing it and it should be right as rain. You're lucky the bullet didn't do more damage then it did, and that it didn't stick in your leg, Raph."

"Yea, lucky." Raph growled.

Don's smile disappeared. "Just stay off of it as much as you can, ok?"

"Yea, stay off it, ok. Whateva Donny." The red clad turtle said sarcastically, getting up and patting his brother on the head with some force before flipping up the railing and walking to his room. In a matter of seconds a flood of loud music drifted from his room. Donatello sighed.

"He's not gonna listen, is he?"

April laughed and patted the "doctor's" head sympathetically. "Does he ever? I'm not even sure why you try."

Don gave a small smile. " I don't know. Guess I still have a few hopes that he might change...someday."

April got up and started putting away the groceries into the cupboards. "Yea right. Raph change? A leopard can't change it's spots, Donny."

Don sighed and got up. "Yea guess you're right. Well I'm headed back to my lab, probably for the night. Anything else you need before I hibernate for the next few weeks?" He joked dryly.

April laughed. "No, but don't stay in there too long. Your siblings might kill each other if you do."

Don shook his head. "They'll be fine for a few days. Night April." With a smile and a nod, the turtle retreated back into his lab and the lair became strangely quite. April went to each boy's room, saying goodnight before she headed out. Raph was punching away at his punching bag; Leo was meditating; Don, of course, had gone into his room to work on whatever it was he was newly interested in; and Micky was where he had been for the past hour or so - in his room playing a new video game April had bought him a few night previously. She smiled and shook her head as she walked out of the lair. Leopards never changed their spots. That's for sure.\

* * *

As soon as I got home I changed into a pair of sweats and a tank top and sat on the velvety red couch of my small apartment. I clicked on the TV and clicked through the channels a bit before I turned it off and sat back in the seat, sighing. I couldn't forget about the stranger who lived in the sewers. Who was he? Why had he saved me? And why was he living in the sewers...The image of three green fingers danced around in my brain. I slapped the side of the couch and got up. There was no work tomorrow, so I had no reason not to stay up late, and it wasn't like I was gonna get any sleep without solving this...oddity...in the first place. I walked into my room and changed again into my black body suit I had bought quite a few years back. Overtop of it I laced up my leather corset and smiled, finding it still fit snugly, perfectly to my body. Finally I picked up a black mask off of my desk and tied it onto my face. It had two pegasus horses on either side where the ears where, and had greek styled ridges covering it's border. It only covered the top of my face, but that was enough. I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed; I had sworn never to wear this thing again...but this time in was for a different purpose. Tonight I just didn't want anyone to recognize me, certainly not the man in the trench coat, and these were the clothes I knew I fought best in. With one last look over myself, I gathered up my courage and opened up my window. "Here goes nothing." I sighed and with that, jumped out the window.


	3. Chapter 3

It took me quite a bit of time to find my way around once I had gotten back into the down there looked - not to mention smelled - the same! But once I finally realized where I was I found my way without much difficultly. Having to move so often as a child probably helped a bit with my sense of direction. I was used to moving into a strange new city and having to know it's ins and outs in a matter or days.

Once I found the wall with the pipes I unzipped my bodysuit just enough to reach the little pocket it had on the inside of the suit. I took out the note pad and pulled the pipes in the order I had listed, smiling as the wall silently slipped open. The note pad went back into it's little zipper, but didn't bother to rezip the rest of the bodysuit up. It's not like anyone was going to see me and it really wasn't zipped so low to be considered too inappropriate. Besides, I had forgotten how hot this thing got!

I snuck into the lair, again choosing my footing very carefully, and wound my way through the elaborate "house". On a chair sitting in what I believed was the kitchen, I saw a first aid kit laying still open. _Clue one. _I thought smiling. I jumped slightly as I heard what at first sounded like a roar. Laughing at myself, I shook my head. _Somebody snores loudly... _

I followed the noise upstairs, spotting a piece of ripped bandage on the stairwell. Once upstairs I took a left and came to the source of the monstrous noise; a thick, dark oak door. I eased it open, silently as I could, and snuck in the room. The walls were all a dark color that I couldn't quite distinguish in the moonlight, but lining them were posters of rock bands, half naked women, and other typical "bachelor pad' decor. The snoring sounded again, this time louder, from the bed behind me, making me jump again. I just barely suppressed a surprised squeal at what I saw. Sleeping in the bed was a giant mutant...turtle...reptileish..._thing_. I went over to the bedside and studied it closer, wishing with every inch of me that I could reach out and touch it's rough , emerald green skin. I slowly made my way up it with my eyes, examining every last inch before coming face to face with his yellowish, amber eyes. His open eyes.

* * *

After a few hours of beating the pulp out of the old ragged punching bag that hung next to Raphael's bedside, he finally decided to go to bed. He crawled into the crinkled red sheets and adjusted his shoulders until he was comfortable. Minutes later he was fast asleep. It felt like he had only just gotten comfortably and totally submersed in his slumber when he felt the eyes of someone staring at him. He blinked his eyes open, keeping perfectly still and looking around the room. At his feet was a female figure dressed in a pitch black bodysuit that he could barely see, with some sort of mask attached to her face. She slowly made her way up his body, examining every last bit,

while he sat there staring at her. Examining _her_. Who the hell was she and why was she in his room? Finally she came to look him in the eye and, for a few precious moments, Raphael got a good look at her; she had amber eyes, just like him, only hers had more red in them then yellow. Her face was petite like the rest of her, and her shoulder length super curly blackish hair shown almost a reddish hue in the moonlight. Her bodysuit had been zipped down just enough to see the curve of her nicely sized breasts, which shown a pale white under the light...

But then Raphael remembered himself and started to move to tackle her. However she was faster, and had him pinned to the bedside in a matter of seconds, which might not have been so bad had she not taken out a long, knife like weapon and put it against his throat. The commotion it made must have been loud, because in a matter of seconds his brothers were standing, in sleepy eyed surprise, in his doorway. Leo unsheathed his swords slowly and held them to his side.

"Who are you and what are you doing in our home?" He said, his voice demanding.

The girl looked briefly at all the brothers, then back at Raphael and narrowed her eyes. " Put your weapons down, or I slit his throat." She demanded. Raphael clenched his teeth. That voice...he knew that voice...

"Who are y-" Leo started again, but was interrupted.

"Weapons. Now."

The brothers looked at one another and slowly put their weapons down on the ground.

"Calm down, dudette...We're the good guys! You know...like super hero's and stuff." Michelangelo said, starting to approach the girl. She put the knife closer to his brothers throat and slowly, he walked back to his place.

"You work for the foot, don't you?" Leo stating, holding his head high.

The girl looking at him and scrunched her eyebrows. "The..what?"

"That would be a no." Don mumbled.

"Yer that cop girl from today, ain't cha?" Raph growled from his place under the knife.

"My sons, I heard a commotion. Is everything ok?" Master Splinter came up the steps, stopping right outside of Raph's door. "Oh. I wasn't told we had a guest. What is your name miss?..."

The girls jaw visibly dropped at the sight of the giant rat, leaving her momentarily vulnerable enough for Raph to swing her off of him and pin her down to the bed. She struggled, her arms almost coming out of his grip before he wiggled up her enough to put his legs on her arms. Her body went still, but her eyes light up in a fire. Raph grinned and removed her mask, revealing the smooth young face of the cop he had run into earlier. His grin grew. "Yep. This is her. The girl that shot me."

She looked like she might angrily snap out a come back, when her face settled into a mischievous smile. " Could you move down a bit?" She asked, just loud enough for the brothers in the doorway to hear.

Raph raised an eye ridge. "Yea, of course. I'll move so that ya can try and kill me again. Sounds smart ta me." The sarcasm leaking from his voice was venomous.

The girls grin grew. "You're squishing my boobs." She stated plainly. Raph's face turned three shades of red and he slid down off of her chest and pulled her off of the bed.

" I think it's time you all go back to bed." Master Splinter said to the two younger brothers.

"But Splinter..." Micky started, but he hurried off as soon as Master Splinter raised his eyebrows at him, Don following closely behind. Leo stood a few feet in front of the girl, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Master Splinter walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Leo turned and bowed to his father, earning him a roll of the eyes from Raphael.

"You too." Splinter said. Leo looked like he might protest, but then seemed to shake away the thought and bowed again, walking out of the room with one last confused look at Raph.

"What're we gonna do wit' 'er?" Raphael asked as his father approached him and looked at the girl intently.

The old rat sighed. " We can't let her go. We don't know what she will tell and whom she will talk to. And it seems she won't be telling us anything..." He looked into her fierce amber eyes and shook his head. "Lock her in the spare room and we'll ask April to talk to her tomorrow. I'm going to bed. You should too after you finish up." The old rat patted his son on the head, then slowly made his way out of the room and bak downstairs.

Raph through the girl over his shoulder and carried her down the hall to the spare room, where he threw her in. She got up and ran to the door, putting her foot in the crack right before Raph closed it. "I'm hypoglycemic. I'm going to need food before You guys come and get me tomorrow morning." She protested. Raphael rolled his eyes.

"Let me guess; I go get ya some food, come back and ya try 'nd kill me again? Sorry sweetie, not gonna happen." He pushed her foot out of the way and closed the door, locking it from the outside. "Nighty nighty princess." He laughed to himself as he made his way back to his bed and fell back asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**~Disclaimer; I do not own TMNT or any of it's characters. Only the story line and OC's belong to me. Enjoy though! :3~**

**Chapter 4; Hypoglycemic  
**

Morning came and April approached the lair, hands full of stuff she had picked up around her house that belonged to the guys. She pulled the pipes and waited as the wall slide open, then walked into the lair. The only one up was Leo. He sat at the table, a small cup of coffee playing at his finger tips, instantly telling April something must be up. Leo almost never had coffee unless he was bone tired, which generally a good sign that he had had a rough night. She threw all the stuff she had been carrying on the couch and sat across from the troubled, blue clad turtle. He continued staring strait ahead, before sighing and running a tired hand over his face.

"You have...a um..guest." He muttered, pointing to the stairs. April raised an eyebrow and started to question him, when she shook her head and got up from the table, patting Leo on the back as she started walking away. "

"We will talk when I get back." She informed him. He nodded.

She started upstairs when she ran into Raphael, who gave her a small grin and pointed at the spare room. "Miss sunshine and lollipops is waiting for you in there. She really thinks who she is, that one..."April gave a small laugh at Raph's use of the Brooklyn adage, and headed to the door. "Careful.." The turtle in red warned as he continued walking down the steps. "She might stab you in the back off if you don't watch yourself..." April furrowed her brow, then slowly opened the door and looked around the small room. It took her a moment to realize that the person she was supposed to talk to was the lump under the covers of the big bed on the other side of the room. She approached the figure carefully.

"Hello? I'm April...the guys said you wanted to talk?" She said to the lump. The small frame didn't move. "Hello?" She repeated, putting a hand on the figure. A low mumble came from the heap.

"Food." It said simply.

April turned the covers up to see a young girl laying there, eyes closed and a look of worry on her face. "Need food. Hypoglycemic."

"Hypo...what?"

The girl fluttered her long lashes open, looked briefly at April, then closed her amber eyes once again. "Low blood sugar." She explained. April nodded her head, getting up and running out of the room.

"Guys?" She called down the stairs. Raphael and Leonardo looked up at her from the table. "The girl up there is diabetic, or something, and needs food. She just about passed out on the bed..."

Raph's face went almost white. "Hypoglycemic, ya mean?" he said, his voice low. April paused and gave the hothead a look of confusion.

"Uh, yea...Raph how did you.."

"I'll get Donny. Raph, get some food together." Leo said, jumping out of his seat, seemingly pleased for the distraction. Raph mumbled some sarcastic comment, followed by a curse, then headed to the cupboards while Leo ran to his guineas brother's room and April headed back to the girl.

"Donny, we need you. The girl's passed out, apparently some sort of diabetic thing..." Leo said as he opened the door to the lab. Donatello sighed, pulling off his goggles and standing to his feet.

"Is someone getting her food?"

"Raphael is."

"Has she passed out yet?"

"Not as far as I know."

Donny nodded his head and picked up his first aid kit from the side of the room, heading out to go see his "patient." He walked through the door to see Raph holding a plate of grapes in front of the girl's face, a look of annoyance on his face.

"Take the damn food already." He commanded.

"Mmmhhh..." The girl mumured from under the covers.

"Eat. It."

"Mhh."

Raphael threw the plate of grapes on the ground and stormed past Donny, his cheeks a bright red. "You take care of 'er, Donny. I'm done." He snarled before running downstairs. Donny shook his head and slowly made his way next to the bed. He gently pulled back the covers and bent next to the small girl.

"Are you diabetic?" He asked.

The girl shook her head and mumbled, "Hypoglycemic."

A small smile made its way to Donatello lips as he nodded his head. "Ah. Ok. Is there a reason you won't eat then?"

"Don't wanna."

The purple clad turtle sighed. "How about you eat these grapes so that you don't pass out and then we tell you everything there is to know about what exactly we are, just to spread some light on this situation for you?"

Silence washed over the girl briefly before she nodded her head. Donny handed her the plate and she slowly popped the grapes into her mouth. After a few minutes she sat up carefully, holding her head in her hands, and stared at the turtle. "You have some explaining to do." She stated groggily.

* * *

I sat on the bed and patiently waited as the turtle in purple explained how it was that he and his brothers had come into existence. Before too long I noticed the rest of his siblings start to gather around the doorway and listen intently as my makeshift doctor finished his story. "That's when my father decided to name us all out of an art magazine he had found. I'm Donatello, the one in blue is Leonardo; in orange in Michelangelo, and then finally the hothead in red in Raphael."

I looked at each one, studying their faces with curiosity. Leonardo looked at me with almost a soft, yet strict and uptight stare; Michelangelo was grinning his face off and looking like he was just barely controlling the urge to bounce off the walls with excitement; Then finally, Raphael glared at me with a look that might have scared me if his eyes hadn't of seemed as curious as mine.

"So your turn, dudette! What's your name?"

I smiled at the young, excitable turtle. "My name is Josephine, but most people call me Sparkie."

My "doctor" raised an eye ridge. "Why do they call you that?"

My grin spread across my face as I looked at him. I could feel the twinkle of mischief playing in my eyes. "Don't let me near your computer." I laughed. He gave me a big grin and shook his head, suppressing a nervous laugh.

"How'd ya get here in tha first place?" Raphael asked.

I met his intense gaze for about thirty seconds before looking down at the ground and checking out my feet intently. "I followed your blood trail." I murmured.

"Hm. Ya mean tha one you blew thew me with that hand gun of yours?" His voice could've frozen a tropic island.

"Yea...sorry about that."

Raphael snorted. "Whateva."

I got up to my feet shakily, seeing Donatello start to protest. "Mind showing me around?" I asked the four in general.

"Oh, oh, oh! I want to! I want to! I call dibs!" The orange one said, jumping up and down. I laughed as he took off, instructing me to follow him. Donatello gave me one last look over before he announced he was going back to his lab and the blue one, Leonardo, shook my hand briefly before retiring to his room. I started to follow the energetic youngest turtle, but stopped in the doorway to look his older, hothead of a brother in the face.

"I am sorry I shot you, Raphael. I thought you were gonna...I don't know... hurt me I guess. I am a cop and I do seem to be targeted quite often in this city."

Raphael kept his arms crossed and his face emotionless, but his eyes had a smirk-of-a-smile light in them. "Whateva. You'll make it up later, trust me."

I looked up at him, inspecting the huge almost yellowish eyes that started back. Suddenly I became possessed by some sort of spontaneous thought and lifted myself up on my toes, kissing the turtle quickly and lightly on the cheek. " And thank you for rescuing me." I whispered before high tailing it out of there to catch up with the youngest.

"There you are!" Michelangelo grinned. "Now we can begin..."


	5. Chapter 5

**~ Disclaimer; I do not own TMNT, only my own Oc's and storyline. This chapter's a bit longer then the other, but hope you like! :3~**

**Chapter 5; Scars**

"I do not want to do this." I grumbled to the man across from me. My boss, an older man with thinning blond hair, scraggly bread and a keg like I had never seen, laughed in the background.

"You want to be a cop? You get to see first hand what pepper spray feels like. Sorry hon. Rules are rules, and everyone of us here had to go through the same thing."

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Fine...fire at will." A roar of laughter sounded as the can of pepper spray started to shower me. It danced and bit my skin, winding itself up my nose and, somehow, into my eyes. I fell down on the ground and tried my best not the touch my stinging body.

"Dammit! Dammit dammit dammit...Shit make it stop already!"

The roar of laughter increased. I stood to my feet and ran in the general direction of the woman's restroom. I clicked the sink on and stuck my face under it, clawing at the sting. After a few moments I looked at myself in the mirror and saw my eyes still shining a blood shot red. I looked like shit.

"They guys are gonna have too much fun with this..." I muttered under my breathe, making my way back out into the lobby. My boss was standing there, a huge grin spread across his face and tears of laughter rolling down his cheeks.

"Go ahead and take the rest of the day off." He snorted, after seeing my face. I glared at him, but shook my head obediently and made my way out of the building and to my car. In my back pocket my phone vibrated. I slid it out and looked at the screen. Raphael's name played before me.

"How was the pepper spray?" It read. I clenched my jaw, hearing his sarcastic voice echo in my head.

"Great. I'm headed you way right now, want me to bring a can to show you?" I replied. A few minutes later his reply came.

"Nah, I'm good. See you soon." It read. I grinned, despite myself, and opened the door to my car.

Jerk.

* * *

"What'd she say? What'd she say?!" Micky squealed, trying to read the text over his brother's shoulder.

"Nothin' important, Micky." Raphael growled. After a second or two he added, "She's on 'er way over."

His little brother's eyes lit up as he jumped off the couch and hurried into the depths of his room. "I wonder if she got the game!" He sang. Raph rolled his eyes and stood up from his seat as Donatello passed him.

"Hey Donny, I gotta kinda odd question fer ya." His brother turned and rose his eye ridges. Raphael stood up tall and tugged on his bandana. "How...uh.. do I look.. decent?"

Donatello looked taken back. "Um, yea I guess so Raph..." He muttered confusingly.

Raphael nodded his head and sat back down in his seat. "Good."

Donny flashed a quick smile and let a small laugh escape his lips. "Josephine headed over?"

Raph nodded. "Yea what's it to ya?"

Donny chuckled and continued on his way to his lab. "Nothing. You just like her, that's all."

The flustered turtle jumped off the couch and ran in front of his brother. "What do ya mean by that, Donny?!" He barked, a red color as bright as his bandana seeping into his cheeks. Donny's brown eyes light up.

"I meant what I said. You like her. Don't you?"

Raph snarled and turned his head away, letting his smart aleck brother pass by him. "Not even. She shot me, remember?"

Don shook his head. "That was over 3 months ago. Since then she's been over here almost everyday, evening sleeping here on the weekends, and you two have had it in for each other the entire time."

Raphael rolled his eyes and let out an displeased sigh before snapping his head Donatello's way. "Wait...she likes me?"

Don gave a short snot shook his head again. Without a word, he opened the door to his lab and disappeared.

Behind him he heard the wall slide open. "Hey guys..." A tired voice called. Micky shot out of his room like he was lit on fire and hugged the short cop, who looked more worn out then normal.

"Josephine! How was work today? Did you get pepper sprayed?How'd that go? Did you stop by the game store? Do you have that game you said you were gonna get? We should go play it!" Micky said, jumping around and pulling the bag from Josephine's hands. She giggled at the excited teenager and took her bag back, skimming through it briefly before handing Micky the Borderlands 2 game.

"Here, take it. I'll be in there shortly to join you." Micky gave her another hug, then bolted out the door and disappeared into his room once more. "And I call playing Zero!" She yelled before facing Raphael, who stood leaned up against the railing on the stair case, eating an apple. Josephine smiled; a glorious look on her petite face that lit up her eyes into almost a deep reddish amber color. She tossed her dark hair over her fair, thin shoulders and put her purse behind her back, putting her hands in it. The mischievous glint in her eyes made Raphael hesitant to let her near him. Within a few seconds she was standing in front of him , grinning away.

"What are ya up to?..." he asked hesitantly.

The young cop's smile grew. "Well, I was just contemplating that comment you sent me about enjoying the pepper spray when I saw a little friend crawling across my dashboard that I thought you'd enjoy just as much as a can of pepper spray..." She said, innocence littering her voice as she pulled out from behind her back a large wolf spider. Raph gripped the railing behind him, his eyes going wide as he started moving away.

"Don't get near me with that...that...thing!"

"Ah, but don't you want to pet him?" Josephine started walking towards Raph with the bug, making him back up till he had his back to the corner.

"Don't. Just...don't!"

"Josephine..." Leo's voice warned from across the room. She looked up at him, saw his raised eye ridges and sighed.

"Fiine." she put the spider on the ground and watched as it hurried off into the shadows, grinning with all her might at the terrified turtle. Raph relaxed, then glared at her.

"Don't do that ta me!" he growled. "Ya know I hate bugs!"

Josephine smiled and took a step forward, crossing her arms and looking up at him defiantly. "And you know how scared I've been for the past 3 weeks about getting sprayed with pepper spray. Now we're even." Raph's grown slipped into a smirk as took a step closer and bent down to look the girl in the eyes.

"Fer now. Jus' 'till I find a new way ta one up ya again."

"Not gonna happen."

"That's what you think."

There was an awkward pause as the two suddenly realized how close they had gotten to each. Raphael could feel the soft breath from the amused girl on his lips. Her eyes stared into his, strong and defiant, just as stubborn as he was. She burned with a passion he had never seen before; she held her head high everywhere she walked as if she had nothing, and everything to prove all at once. If it had been anyone else he might have found it annoying, but the way she did it, it seemed almost...cute..

"Sparkie, you coming?!" Micky yelled from his room. Josephine jumped, then looked away, a shade of pink showering her cheeks.

"Ya should prolly go. Micky ain't 'zactly tha waitin' type."

Josephine shook her head, then gave Raph a last lopsided smile before rushing back into Michelangelo's room.

"You'd better not have started yet!" She yelled and in the next second, disappeared.

Leo looked at Raphael, a smug grin on his face.

"What?" Raph snapped. Leo shook his head.

"Oh nothing."

"Leo..."

The turtle in blue let out a snappy laugh. "You two are so blind." He snorted before getting up and leaving the room. Raph stood in his spot for a second longer, then let out a huff and stormed off to his room.

* * *

"...so I told him no and he came at me with a knife." I explained.

Raph finished the paper airplane and threw it off the side of the building, watching as it floated to the ground. "In third grade?" He asked in surprise.

I nodded my head and let out a small laugh as the hothead turtle's plane hit a guy in the back of the head. The man stopped and looked around, the shrugged and kept walking. "Yep." I responded, then put my hand up and gave him a five...three..thing. "Nice shot."

A small smirk painted the teenage turtle's lips. "Thanks. How'd ya get out of it? That situation, I mean..."

I shrugged and folded my paper in half. "I screamed bloody murder and a teacher appeared. She picked me up, not seeing the guy had a knife, and took me in to the nurse. She said I had cut myself playing outside."

Raph's face twisted into anger. "An' she believed that bull hocky?" I shrugged, then threw the paper airplane off the rooftop and watched in disappointment as it fell into a dumpster. Raph laughed. "Good shot, if only that's what ya were aim'n fer." I smacked him, laughing, then rolled my eyes.

"Your turn." I announced, taking his three fingered hand in mine and examining it for scars. He had a large one on the back of his palm that spread from his wrist, to the beginning of his index finger. "How'd you get that one?"

Raphael grinned and fingered the mark. "Um...hehe...that one I did myself."

I laughed. "Wow, how'd you pull that smooth stunt, ex-lax?"

Raphael pushed me softly as his cheeks started to flush. "Ah shut up. I was fix'n my bike 'nd got mad 'cause it wasn't worki'n out fer me too well. So I started throwing stuff 'round the shop 'nd while I was fling'n my arms about I hit the table saw wit' tha back of my hand..."  
I covered my mouth to suppress my laughter. "That's what you get for throwing a hissy fit!"

Raphael frowned. "It ain't no hissy fit, I was was jus' mad at my stupid bike!"

I grinned and adjusted myself to face him. "Calm down, I'm just joking with you."

For a brief moment it looked like he was going to explode, but finally his face eased into a small smirk. "Whateva."

Suddenly a loud clank sounded below us as a dump truck scooped up some trash and pressed in down. I jumped to the side and let out a high pitched squeal, landing right on top of Raphael. We both broke out laughing once I realized it had been the dump truck until we caught each other's eyes and suddenly the fact that I was laying on top of the teenage turtle became very apparent.

"Oh...sorry I...um..."

Abruptly Raphael interrupted my sentence with a kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

**~Disclaimer; I do not own TMNT. But the Oc's and storyline in mine. :3 Enjoy!~**

**Chapter 6: History**

Raphael didn't know what drove him to kiss Josephine. Seeing her so close, those soft thin lips just taunting him, calling him...she started to mumble an apology about landing on him when he interrupted her with a kiss. For the first few seconds she froze, completely taken by shock. But as the kiss continued she melted into it and he felt the end of her tongue slip into his mouth. Her small arms shifted to gently caress his face, drawing him in closer to her soft, delicate mouth. He rose one hand up to cradle the smooth curve of her waist as the other danced its way up and down the arch of her back. He gently pulled her closer to him, feeling her round breasts press up against his chest. She let out a soft and low mummer, as she started to move her body into the kiss. She fit perfectly.

Then, without warning, she pulled back and sat back up. Her head slowly shook back and forth. "I-...I-I'm sorry. I can't."

Raphael sat up, brows furrowed. "You can't what?"

A tear slid down the side of one of her silky white cheeks, sparkling like a perfectly shaped diamond in the moonlight. "I...I'm sorry." She cried again, ever so quietly. In a sudden spurt she broke down into tears and got up, running down the stairway on the side of the building and disappearing into a sewer cap below.

Then Raphael was left there, alone, sitting on the rooftop and in complete confusion. "What the hell did I do?" He snapped quietly. He clenched his jaw and picked up his two sai's from the ground, gripping the edge of the weapon with furry. "I'm stupid. So fucking stupid!" he practically yelled. In a fit of rage he started to fight the air, kicking and punching and cussing at the vast nothingness. His breathing became ragged and hard. He hit the edge of the building's wall with his sai, keeping the other one tucked to his body, and shut his eyes as angry tears slid down his green face. He leaned his head against the wall, feeling the rain start to pour down on him as he slid down into a crouch, leaning all his weight onto the wall before crumpling to the ground. _What did I do? _He thought to himself as the rain continued to pour down, relentless. _What did I screw up this time?..._

* * *

I ran. Not only did I run, I sprinted, through the sewers, tears blinding my vision till I found the lair. My arms reached out and yanked the pipes in their proper order, all just from muscle memory. As soon as the wall opened itself, three green heads turned to look at me. I stood, momentarily in front of them as the tears continued to fall. Leo stood up from his place at the table and walked toward me slowly.

"Josephine? What's wrong?..."

I shook my head and ran up the stairs and into the spare room that I had claimed as my own.

"Duuuuudddeee...what was that about?" Micky's voice drifted in from the living room.

"Leave her be, Micky. Let Leo handle this one."

"But Doooonnnnnn..."

"If I agree to watch you play that new game Josephine bought you, will you listen?"

"Dude, totally!"

The sound of soft footsteps soon reached my ears as my door slid open, almost noiselessly. A strong arm lifted me up and cradled me, holding me like I was a china glass doll and might break at any moment. I looked up to see Leo's worried face looking down at me. Over the past few months I had kind of adopted the oldest turtle as my older brother, or protector. Whenever I felt confused or lost and wanted a truthful, honest opinion, I had gone to Leo. But this was my very first time crying in front of him.

"What's wrong?"

I threw my arms around his neck and felt him hold me close as I sobbed into him for at least a good fifteen minutes or so before I could bring myself to speak. The entire time he held me pressed up to him in a strong, but careful hold, rocking back and forth slowly as he hushed me. I just barely caught a glimpse of Master Splinter in the doorway, eyes concerned. Leo turned his head to see him and nodded, letting his father know he had everything under control. Master Splinter nodded back and, with one last concerned look at me, wandered back downstairs. My sobbing stopped and Leo held me at arms length, brushing away the rest of the crystals still remaining in my eyes.

"Better now?"

I sniffled, and nodded my head.

"What's wrong?"

I bite my lip and lifted a hand to wipe my face. "It's a long story."

"I have time, and patience."

I crawled out of his lap and wrapped the blanket around my shoulders. Leo crossed his legs and sat a few feet from me. "A few years back, when I still lived in Oregon, I broke up with my first boyfriend. He was borderline abusive and I couldn't have ever gotten out without incident without the help of a dear friend of mine, who later I ended up dating. His name was Levi. We dated for a long time before deciding to get married on my 18th birthday. I had the wedding planned out and everything..." I stopped to regain my composure, earning me a sympathetic pat from the turtle across from me. " Levi had joined the Marines the previous year. He was supposed to arrive the day before our wedding, which he did. In a coffin...a year later I moved to NewYork to join the police force here. Something to get my mind off of it all, you know?" Silence spread in the gap between me and Leo.

"I..I'm sorry." He whispered. "If you don't mind me asking...why is this coming out now?"

A small smile tickled the edges of my lips. I looked down and to the side, my cheeks heating up. "Well...me and Raph went to the roof and we were talking and then things just kind of...we started kissing and I just thought...the last time I kissed anybody was when I kissed Levi goodbye, the last time I saw him..." I clenched my jaw. No. No crying. Not again. "I never really mourned over him. I just kept so busy that I wouldn't have to think about it..."

Leo got up and motioned for me to do the same, then engulfed me in a hug. "Is there anything I can do?" I shook my head and hugged him back.

"No...but I should apologize to Raph. I kind of ran away in the middle of him kissing me and broke into tears..."

Leo nodded his head. "When I see him I'll send him your way."

I smiled. "Thanks Leo."

"No problem." The older turtle ruffled my hair and grinned. "Anytime. I'm downstairs. Call if you need anything, K?"

I nodded my head and sighed as he closed the door behind him, mentally trying to think about how to explain everything to Raphael when he got back.

* * *

Raph got home much later then he originally had intended. As the wall slid open he saw Leo sitting on a kitchen chair, just as he expected. "Not now, Leo." He snapped, expecting another lecture about staying out too late.

"I know why Josephine ran today." Leonardo said, voice calm and even.

His short tempered brother stopped in his tracks. "What?"

Leo pulled up and chair. "Sit. Listen."

For the first time he could remember, Raphael actually obeyed his brother without a word. Leo spent the next few minutes relaying everything to his brother, as the turtle in red sat there swallowing up every detail of the story.

After it was over, Raph leaned back in his chair and rubbed the back of his head. "Woow...so, uh...what do I do?"

"Leave her be. When she's ready she'll come back to you."

Raphael nodded and gave his brother a small half grin. "Mk. Thanks bro." Raphael got up from his chair and started to make his way up the stairs to his room when Leo raised his voice.

"No problem, Raph, but if you come home this late again you're going to get the lecture of a lifetime."

Raphael's smile faded. "Whateva fearless." He growled before walking up the rest of the stairs and slamming his bedroom door behind him. In a matter of minutes he was curled up in his blankets and fast asleep.

* * *

"Whateva fearless." I heard Raphael's voice grouchy. I waiting a good 20 minutes under my covers, trying to decide if I should wait till the morning to talk to him, then decided if I didn't do it tonight I'd get no sleep. I slipped out of my bed and out my room without a noise, then cracked open the door to Raph's room and headed inside. He was fast asleep under his covers. I lifted them up and crawled inside next to him, his normally cold body now warm. I snuggled up against him. He mumbled something and turned around to face me. We were laying not even inches apart. I laid my head on his chest and curled my body against his.

"I'm sorry for earlier. There's something you should probably know.."

"Leo told me already. It's ok."

I looked up at him and let a small grin cross my face as his amber eyes met mine. "So?..."

"So where do we go from here?" He finished for me. I sighed.

"I think I need to sort out my emotions before I get myself involved in another relationship." I whispered.

Raphael turned back over in his bed and nodded. "Ok." He replied.

"Ok." I muttered back. I laid there for a few minutes before slipping out of his room and back into my own. It was going to be a long, sleepless night.


	7. Chapter 7

**~Disclaimer; I do not own TMNT or any of the songs in this chapter! Hope you like the story though! :3~**

**Author's note: Thank you everyone whose been reading my story so far! And thank you to xxturtlelovexx for reviewing! :) Hope you all like the story so far. :3**

**Chapter 7: Miss Independent**

"I haven't played in a really long time, Donny." I laughed as the turtle in purple pushed me toward the grand piano.

"It's like riding a bike! You never forget. Come on, one song? I really need to try out the new recording gear I bought on ebay to make sure it works and you already told Micky you'd play us something after he found out you knew a bit of piano..."

"Please?" Micky grinned. I laughed and sat down at the seat.

"Ok, ok fine."

"Wait, let me get my stuff..." Donatello ran out of the room and returned after a couple of minutes with an armful of cords and devices. A few more moments passed before he had the gear ready and sat down down across from me, a grinning Michelangelo squirming in his seat beside me.

"Um...ok. Here goes nothing I guess..." It took me a few seconds to decide what to play before letting my fingers dance across the keys, purely from muscle memory. The tune flowed slowly at first, until me brain finally caught up and let the song flow freely. Once finished, the boys both stared at me, smiles on their greens faces.

"That was pretty good." Donatello finally said. "Was the, The River Flows in You?"

I grinned. "Yea"

Leo appeared in the doorway and nodded at me. "Good job." He commented briefly before raising an eye ridge at his brothers. "Master Splinter called training 15 minutes ago..."

"That's our Que.." Micky laughed. The two younger turtles patted me on the back before exiting the room, leaving only me and Leo.

"You can come too, if you like. You did pretty good the last few times you joined us."

I shook my head. "Nah, I think I'll try and remember more on the piano for a bit first, if that's ok."

"Raph still acting up?"

I looked at the eldest in surprise, then looked away. "Yea... I don't know, he's just been really off lately."

Leo nodded. "Do you want me to talk to him about it?"

A small, worn out laugh escaped my lips. "No thank you, father dearest. He'll only see it as you being nosy again, and then you'll have another fight. I'm ok. Really."I grinned at him falsely. He sighed.

"Ok then."

As soon as the turtle left I let the smile run off my face and slid in my chair. With a sigh I stared at the piano and started to play again, singing bits and pieces of different songs I knew. Music is, by far, the best therapy.

* * *

Raphael watched from the side lines as Leo threw Don across his shoulder, making the younger brother slam across the floor.

"Out!" Micky exclaimed. "Your turn Raphy!"

"I told ya not ta call me that, Mike." He growled before cracking his knuckles and stepping up to the mat, getting ready to fight his brother - no weapons allowed.

"Aaaannnnddd...fight!" The youngest brother laughed, racing to the side lines to watch.

Raphael threw the first couple of punches, eager as always. During those blows, Leo concentrated on his defense and let his muscles fall into the steady rhythm his brother had set up.

"So what's up between you and Josephine?" He asked bluntly, catching his hothead brother off guard and taking advantage of the moment by sending a solid kick to his brother's chest. Raphael's eyes grew in shock before he caught himself and rushed at his brother, who side stepped easily.

"It's none of yer business, Leo." He snapped, turning around and kicking his brother. He felt his foot make connection with Leo's shoulder, but not strongly enough to really do anything. The leader continued to match the hothead's speed, move for move, only this time he switched to the offense. The two dipped and weaved around each other's blows, the fight looking more and more like a deadly dance with each second.

"It is too my business." Leonardo huffed, dodging a punch to the solar plexus from his by now furious brother. "You've been acting emotional and unreasonable since last week when Josephine came back to the lair _crying_. I think it's all of our business now."

A short, powerful blow from Raph opened Leo up for another attack and his younger brother was all to happy to concede, hitting the leader under the jaw and watching as thick red liquid flew from Leo's mouth. The hothead was no longer training. He was out for blood now.

Leo saw that in his little brother's eyes and quickly recovered.

"It's my life, fearless. Ya have no right ta rile over it like a king! Yer not my leader and ya won't ever be!" A sudden rush of swings flew Leonardo's way. He dodged every one of them, some only by pure luck. This fight had to end. Now.

"It's not my fault that your ridiculous temper always gets in the way of your happiness!" The eldest exclaimed, bending underneath another punch and swooping up under his brother to hit him in the side of the neck with a pressure point. Raphael lost balance and fell to the ground, Leo following him shortly to pin him there.

"if your temper hadn't gotten away with you like that, you might have won." He snarled. Raphael kicked his brother off, then got up and walked out the door without a word.

"Leo...winner?" Micky said.

"I...don't quite know." Donny commented behind him.

Leo rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. "With Raphael, no one wins."

* * *

Raphael stormed out of the training room, feeling furious and overwhelmed with anger. Suddenly the sound of piano music and a small voice singing along dancing threw the air caught his attention, drawing it away, if only for a moment, from his train of thought. The sound of the familiar voice almost seemed to entrance him. He snuck around the corner to see Josephine sitting at the piano, her deep strong voice amazingly quiet as she sang. Though he had never heard the song before, he could tell by how she sang it that it had been slowed done and changed from it's original version.

"Miss independent." She started.

"Miss self-sufficient.

Miss keep your distance.

Miss unafraid.

Miss out of my way.

Miss don't let a man interfere, no.

Miss on her own.

Miss almost grown.

Miss never let a man help her off her throne.

So, by keeping her heart protected,

She'd never ever feel rejected.

Little miss apprehensive,

Said ooh, she fell in love."

Raphael slipped closer into the room and stood leaned in the doorway, listening intently. The young cop seemed so caught up in her song, she didn't even notice him.

"What is the feelin' takin' over?

Thinkin' no one could open my door.

Surprise, It's time,

To feel what's real.

What happened to Miss Independent?

No more the need to be defensive.

Goodbye, old you,

When love is true.

Miss guarded heart.

Miss play it smart.

Miss if you want to use that line you better not start, no.

But she miscalculated,

She didn't want to end up jaded,

And this miss decided not to miss out on true love.

So, by changing her misconceptions,

She went in a new direction,

And found inside she felt a connection.

She fell in love."

The sound of the piano grew to match the growing strength of Josephine's voice. Raphael, temper now lost, had the sudden urge to see her face as she sung. To watch as she closed her almond shaped eyes and see the flush of color sweep into her defined cheeks. To see those lips curve and bend into the words she sang so emotionally. Slowly he entered the room, one step at a time and quiet as he could be as she finished her second run through the chorus.

"When Miss Independence walked away.

No time for love that came her way.

She looked in the mirror and thought today,

What happened to miss no longer afraid?

It took some time for her to see,

How beautiful love could truly be.

No more talk of why can't that be me,

I'm so glad I finally see."

The song finished and the two froze in place, both breathing slowly. Raphael stood inches away from Josephine now, only just realizing that she knew he was in the room. He saw her small mouth start to try and shape it's way into forming words when he couldn't take the tension any longer and disappeared out of the room, the only signal of his departure being a shift in the air.

"I love you Raphael." Josephine sighed, laying a heavy head down against the wooden piano and closing her eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

**~Disclaimer; I do not own TMNT! Though it'd be awesome to..:3 Enjoy!~**

**Chapter 8; Making up?**

"More power." Leo commanded as I hit the target on his hand with my foot. I wiped sweat from my brow and sighed, sending another kick to the leaders hand. "Harder." He commanded again. I hit the target again, a loud thwap sounding through the room. Leo grinned and shook his

"Leo, it looks like she should probably take a break. You've been training for over 4 and a half hours now." I smiled at Donny, who stood in the doorway and tinkered with some sort of handheld device,a pair of ridiculous goggles on his eyes.

"It's ok Donny. Really. When I want to stop, I'll say so."

The purple clad turtle looked up at me, slipping the goggles off and staring at me for a second, before shaking his head and looking back down at his contraption. "No, you really should at least take a short break now. Your dehydrating and over heating."

"Donny, I'm fi-"

Leo put a hand on my shoulder and smiled down at me. "Donny's right. A small break won't hurt. Why don't you go to the kitchen and get something to drink and eat while I clean things up. I'll come get you in 15 minutes, ok?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but after a look from both of the brothers I lowered my head and shrugged my shoulders. "Ok, fine."

I left Leo and headed down the hall to the kitchen, opening up the fridge and bending down do get a better look at my options. Cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza, Hawaiian pizza, meat lovers pizza...I let out a soft laugh and shook my head. Boys and their pizza. I finally settled on getting out the milk and pouring myself a bowl of cereal. I heard a shuffle behind me and turned around, expecting to see Micky's grinning face. He had taken into sleeping in late on Saturdays when I got to the lair early, getting up just in time to catch me in the kitchen and convince me to cook him breakfast. Instead I came face to face with a tired looking Raphael, my favorite cinnamon cereal in his hands and the last jug of milk in mine. We both froze and stood there for a few moments, not quite sure what to do. I hadn't seen hide nor hair of him for at least 3 months now. I came over for the boys birthdays; he didn't come out of his room. I was there for labor day; he didn't life a finger from his bed. I showed up for Halloween and then in the next few days, my birthday; he didn't even bother to show his face. I had spent nights here, days here, had fallen asleep late at night bawling my eyes out...it was like he no longer even existed. But I had gotten over it. At least I thought I had.

I felt the milk slip out of my hand and flinched back, expecting it to hit the floor and spray everywhere. With a grunt the worn out turtle caught the jug out of mid air and gave me a short snort of disapproval.

"Smooth move."

He turned around to put his shell to me and got out two bowls and two spoons from the cupboard above him. I stood and stared for a few moments, not sure how to act or what to say, before closing the refrigerator door and sitting down at the table. Raphael joined me there in a few more seconds, sliding my dish across to me without a word. We ate in silence. When we were done the red-clad turtle took my bowl and took it to the sink to wash it out while I sat still in my seat.

"I've missed you."

Raphael's dark green body froze. I could see every muscle in his body flex in anxiety.

"Why...why haven't you come out of your room?"

The hot tempered teen sighed and continued to wash the dishes. "I have come out of my room." He answered bluntly.

"Why haven't you come out of your room while I'm around, then."

Silence separated the space between us. Raphael turned the sink off and stood there, motionless. I walked up behind him, only standing inches away, and ran my fingers up his thick arms, across his broad shoulders and around his neck to cradle his face, turning him to face me. "Why have you been avoiding me?" I restated my question.

"I think ya know tha answer ta that question."

I stared into his amber eyes; they seemed to burn against his emerald skin, burning like embers in a dying fire. I couldn't tell if he hated me or if he hated the fact that he liked me. The smell of alcohol and sweat seemed to seep from his skin, which normally would have irked me, but here didn't even cause me to think twice. I could hear his breathing getting deeper, rougher, more uneven at my touch - I could feel his cold skin warm even just a few degrees. I finally couldn't take it any longer and looked away, teary eyed and unsure of what to say. My hand slipped from it's place on his cheek and landed by my side.

"I'm...I'm sorry." I whispered. Raphael's face softened. I felt three cold fingers slowly make their way onto my hip as he gently pulled me closer to him. His other hand went to my face, gently moving a few fallen strands of hair back behind my ear. I looked at him in his large fiery orbs. "I shouldn't have let the past guide my actions. I should have told you earlier about everything, in person. You should have known from the beginning and it shouldn't effect any relationship we could ha-"

Raphael interrupted my apology with a kiss. I felt his lips on mine and relaxed into the kiss, moving my hands to caress his face and shell. I felt him start to run cold fingers up and down my body, my skin springing up with goosebumps. A grin spread across my face as I felt his rough tongue enter my mouth and I adjusted myself to better kiss him. It felt like the kiss continued on forever before we finally broke apart. I laid my head against the turtles chest, loving the feeling of being in his arms as I felt his face burry into my neck.

"Ya smell good." He murmured, breaking the silence. I let out a small giggle.

"Thanks." There was a pause before I added in, "And I know that you're sorry as well for being over emotional." Suddenly I was pulled away from Raphael's body at arms length and staring back into his fiery eyes.

"What?"

I gave a short, uneasy laugh. "Well I did told you I wasn't ready to date, not that I never wanted to again or that I didn't like you...you just took what I said to a new extreme and blew it out of proportion.

Raphael's hands slipped off of me and crossed in from of his chest. "Um, no. I'm not sorry because I wasn't bein' over emotional. An' ya said ya didn' want ta date like at all. That's pretty much tha same as saying ya don't like me."

I put my hands on my hips. "Uh, no it's not."

"Ya, it is."

"No."

"Ya."

"No!" I let more authority seep into my voice. Raphael rose his eye ridges, his voice rising with them into almost a yell.

"Ya! It is!"

"I think I know what I was meaning to say, Raphael." I pronounced his name very specifically, annunciating the vowels.

"I thank ya need ta work on yer communication then, Josephine." He replied, copying me with the name thing.

"Hey dudes, what's going on?" A sleepy eyed Michelangelo asked as he wandered into the kitchen and sat down. I glared at Raph, letting my voice remain as calm as I could and dropping the degrees in the room severely.

"Raphael is just being over emotional again."

Raph clenched his fists. "Josephine is jus' playin' Leo's pet again." He spat.

"Dudes, dudes, I think if we all calm down..."

In the next second Micky looked down to see a sai stuck in the wood between his legs. I glanced down at it, pulled it out of the wood and face Raph again.

"Was that necessary, Raph? Really?"

The hothead looked like he was about to say something when an eruption of coughs erupted from my lips. I shook my head, trying to chase off the feeling of nausea I had had for the entire day, and glared back at Raph, whose face that had seemed to have a fleeting expression of worry only a few seconds ago now was very stoic.

Without a word he stormed out of the room and back into the depths of the cave he had gotten so used to over the past 3 months.

"Fuck you." I murmured before grabbing my coat and walking out of the lair.


	9. Chapter 9

**~Disclaimer; I don't own TMNT just my Oc's and storyline! :3~**

**Author's note; Sorry I haven't posted in a bit. School has started so I've been quite busy. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

**Chapter 9; Friends in High Places**

The sound of dry heaves and harsh coughing sounded through the cave. Leo sat in the dojo, legs crossed underneath him, hands laid gently on his legs. His blue eyes were closed, but with every cough his eye ridges furrowed more and more. Before too long he got up from his meditation with a sigh and walked into the living room, where Josephine sat curled up in a ball on the couch. As he entered she let out a soft moan and leaned over the edge of a bucket. The sound of the vomit hitting the bottom of the metal container made Leo's stomach turn.

"Is she doing any better?" He asked his brother, who stood over Josephine with a cool, moist rag and laid it on her head. His deep brown eyes were full of concern and never once met his older brother's gaze.

"She's not getting too much worse." He murmured hopefully.

"Dudes, what in the shell is she puking up? She hasn't eaten in days!" Donny looked up at his younger brother who sat on the couch across from the sick cop. He shook his head slowly.

"She won't. Trust me, I've tried. Several times."

Leo sat down in a love seat besides Josephine and looked up at his smarter younger brother. "And all she has is a cold right?"

"That's all it looked like. But if that's all it was I would've thought it would be over by now. That and when I got up this morning her fever had gone up and her breathing was more ragged. I'm not really sure anymore what it is-it almost seems like a severe cold or something- but I'm running blood tests now. I'll tell you when I get any more information."

"Has Raph been down to see her at all?"

Donny started to open his mouth when the hot head's voice bounced off the walls.

"That's none of yer business, fearless." With a last glare at his older brother, Raph turned to face Donny. His amber eyes looked tired and worried. "How is she?"

Donny sighed. "Well she can still talk. Why don't you ask her?"

Another mumbled came from the couch. Donny met Raph's eyes, understanding the subtle undertone he was trying to get through to them all, and turned to face Leo and Micky.

"Why don't you two come with me. I have some blood tests and stuff I'd like to have help checking on."

Micky started to complain, but shut his mouth and followed after an angry glare from Raphael. The three hurried out of the room, leaving just Josephine and Raphael. The dark skinned turtle sighed and bent down next to the sick girl.

"Yer phone's been explodin' without ya there ta answer it. Some gal named Krystal tryin' ta get a'hold of ya, as well as some other chick named Sammy...at least I think she's a chick.."

Josephine didn't bother to roll over and face the hothead, making her words muffled and hard to understand. "Diood mu tet hr back?" She mumbled.

"Ya. She called 'nd I answered yer phone. Swore a ton at me then said she was comin' ta check on ya. I warned 'er not ta but she's...very insistent. I already cleared it with Splinter...they'll be here any minute."

Josephine rolled around and looked at Raphael with dark eyes. The normally seemed so fiery and passionate, but when she got sick they seemed to almost turn black. "Do the guys know?"

"Mhhm."

Suddenly there was the loud sound of someone beating on a wall and Micky voice calling. "Hey they're here! Dudes get ready for more babes!" Soon after was the sound of the large wall sliding open and several female voices conversing.

"Are you guys Josephine's friends? Is she here?" A strong girl voice said, her voice carrying throughout the entire sewers with authority.

"Hey your not scared of us?!" Micky's voice cried in enthusiasm.

"My quirky cousin's friends always have odd...what's the word...quirks? Dressing up in a turtle suit is the least of what I've seen. Now where is she?"

There was an awkward silence before Donny's voice could be heard. "Right this way." Footsteps echoed, getting louder as they got closer until they peeked their heads around the doorway. A tall girl with long blond hair and piercing green eyes appeared first, her face long and slim and serious. Her skin was deeply tanned, though obviously not fake.

"Josephine! You scared the living shit out of me! Why the hell have you not been talking to me every night! I swear, you're such a bitch...how are you doing, by the way?"

Josephine gave a small laugh which was soon followed by a fit of coughs.

"I've been better. Nice to see you again Krystal. Where's Sa-"

"I'm here." Behind Krystal stepped a thin framed girl. Her long, pin strait black hair covered more then half of her small white face, blue eyes peering out behind long lashes curiously. She couldn't have been taller then Josephine, if even that, and Josephine was only about 5'2. She was definitely not as muscled.

Josephine grinned. "I missed you guys. Have you met my friends?" She croaked. Donny hurried to the sick girl's bedside and stuck a thermometer in her mouth.

"Stop talking. Just hearing your voice makes my throat hurt. I'll take it from here." Donatello faced the girls and cleared his throat. "Ahem. So, uh...introductions. You're obviously Sammy and Krystal. We've heard a lot about you. I'm Donatello, Josephine makeshift doctor for right now. I go by Donny. The one in the blue is Leonardo, but he goes by Leo. Michelangelo is the oaf standing behind you grinning, who goes by Micky, and the red clad one is Raphael, who we all call Raph. If you like we can leave while you girls talk to Josephine, but please do most of the talking. She shouldn't stress her throat too much."

"Do you know what she has, D-Donatello?" Sammy asked. The doctor turtle scrunched his eye ridges.

"I'm not sure yet. I thought she had a cold but now...well I don't expect you guys to listen to my medical talk, but I'm working on figuring that out."

Sammy nodded slowly while Krystal gave an evil chuckle behind her. "Sammy should help you with that. She's in med school right now and I bet she could figure out what's going on faster than you have."

"Krystal..."Josephine's hoarse voice warned. Donny's cheeks turned red.

"Oh...um of course... I mean after your done here I'd love help."

Sammy nodded. Krystal gave a loud sigh and raised her thin eyebrows. "Well I'd love to take you up on you're offer of everyone leaving the room so we can talk privately, if you don't mind." The brothers all got up and said their goodbyes, the last one to leave being Raphael. He glared at Krystal, but did nothing more then shake his head as he left the room. Stupid girl was going to get herself killed someday with that attitude of hers.

"We've missed you so!" Sammy cried after the boys left. I smiled as she through her arms around my neck, then, remembering I was sick, backed off and bent down to my eye level. Krystal stood above me, tall and intimidating as ever. Her glare was disapproving at best.

"What the hell are you doing in the sewers? And hanging out with a bunch of people who have some sort of odd turtle fetish? Really? You left home for this?"

"They aren't people in suits, Krystal. They really are mutant turtles."

Krystal rolled her eyes. "Yea, right, cause turtles can jus-"

"Actually..." Both me and Krystal turned to look at the quiet girl. She blushed slightly. "Actually...if, say about 21ish years ago they came into contact with some sort of colloidal gel down in the sewers, something like stuff TGRI manufactured back before they had that nuclear meltdown, that genetically modified their DNA coding, then they could, theoretically, be transformed into a mutated version of their previous form. Hence creating a genetically modified turtle, that could possibly walk, talk..."

"Do ninjutsu." I grinned. Krystal sat down, her broad shoulders slumping in astonishment.

"You mean to say, those are actually..."

"Affirmative." Sammy let a small grin creep up on her pink lips. Her purply blue eyes sparkled with curiosity. "That's simply...fansinating! I mean...it's just..."

"Disgusting." Krystal whimpered. "Giant reptiles. Great."

"Hey dudettes, gotta come back int! Donny's getting some sort of sample or something!" Micky entered the room, a huge grin spread across his face. Following closely behind him was Donatello, a needle in his hand. My eyes went wide.

He must of noticed because suddenly he put the needle behind his back and approached me cautiously. "I just need a blood sample...It's not gonna hurt don't worry..."

In a flash Krystal was by the smart turtles side, a strong grasp on the needle. "She's afraid of needles. I wouldn't recommend that."

"Bu-"

"He has ta do what he has ta do, girly. It's fer her best. Don't cha want that?"

Somehow Raphael had entered the room without me noticing. I looked to the doorway and saw him leaning there, head cocked moodily to the side. This was going to become a show down really fast. Krystal spun around to face Raphael.

"Listen, buddy. I've known Josephine a lot longer then you have. I don't care if you fucking slept with her. I'm her cousin. I've know her since I was born. And I'm not a mutant freak with questionable morals."

Michelangelo and Leonardo were on Raphael, pinning him to the ground before anyone could blink. I had never heard him swear so much. I tried to get off the couch to help, but was gently pushed back down by Donatello, who ran over and was trying to quell the fight. Everything seemed to stop when Sammy's soft voice spoke up.

"Lyme disease."

The room went quiet. Donny approached her carefully, as if he might scare her away. "What was that?" He said under his breath.

Sammy seemed to shrink into her shoulders the moment she realized everyone was looking at her.

"I-i-its not that hard to figure out, if y-you ignore the fact that the rash is missing. S-s-she has l-lyme disease."

"But how'd she get that?" Micky asked, his elbow still in Raphael's face and legs wrapped around his older brother's waist. "It's not like we're in the middle of the forrest or , that's the one that comes from a tic, right?"

Donny ran his hand over his face, his green skin rushing into a ruby red. "Of course...I'm an idiot. We live in the sewers, Micky. There's tics down here. I guess I just didn't see any rashes and so it never came to mind..."

"Do you have any Doxycycline?" Sammy asked Don.

"No, but I have Amoxicillian. That should do the trick..."

"Meanwhile, you should get some rest." Leo instructed me as the two guineas wandered off into the lab.

"Bu-" I started to protest.

"No butts. Sleep." Krystal commanded, now standing over me with Raphael peering over her shoulder (or down it, I couldn't tell).

"Ya, they're prolly right." The hothead agreed.

I gave a sigh and pulled the red fuzzy blanket over my shivering body. "Ok fine. But wake me if anything important happens..."

I didn't even hear their answer before my mind succumb to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**~Disclaimer; I don't own TMNT. Just my own characters. Enjoy! :3~**

**Author's note: This chapter is really short. I apologize, but it's really just kind of a transition chapter. Hope you like it!  
**

Chapter 10

"So I have to ask, have you actually...you know...with Raphael?"

I looked up from underneath the fort of blankets on top of me and scrunched my eyebrows at Krystal. "Um...excuse me?"

"You know...slept with the guy...turtle...whatever." In the background another round of giggles erupted from Donny's lab. After the initial awkward introduction, Donny and Sammy had hit it off better then I think anyone could've imagined. Donny took to smiling and laughing like...well like a turtle to water. I never had seen him let out such a deep bellied laugh before in my time with the guys, and hadn't seen Sammy grin and giggle like that since her dad started beating her in fourth grade.

"Well? Is that a yes?" Krystal snapped. I shook my head, just realizing I still hadn't answered her question.

"No. I'm not even sure if that works..."

"Doesn't mean you wouldn't try..."

My mouth dropped. "Krystal!"

She smirked and raised her shaped eyebrows. "Just saying. You have some very...odd... likes..."

"Hey girl's. Just checking up to see how our patient is doing." Leo bent down in front of me and put a cold hand up to my head.

"I'm feeling fine, Leo. Really. I can go practice now."

Leo scrunched his "nose". "Go ahead and get up, but you shouldn't really practice for a few more days. You need to-"

"Rebuild my strength and get back on my feet before I over use myself. Leo..." I sighed. "Fine. At least I can get up."

Leo gave me a small grin before standing to his feet and walking back into the dojo. I stood to my feet to meet the green eyes of a sarcastically grinning Krystal. " What?"

"Do you have a new dad or something? You sure listen to him like his word is 'law'. Since when do you listen to any sort of law anyways?"

"I do not! He's just a good friend and has helped me with a lot through my time here."

Krystal's grin grew. " Sure. _Friends_. I get it. Got a bit of a turtle love thing going on here?"

"Krystal..." My voice dropped a few degrees, but the sassy girl must not have gotten the point.

"Is one mate not good enough for you?"

"Krystal!" I froze in my place and clenched my fists. "Shut the _hell_ up."

Krystal's grin disappeared. She seemed to shrug the yell off like it was merely a drop of rain. "Jeez, cool your top. I'm not serious."

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "What's it to you anyway? Why do you care who I like and don't like?"

Krystal's cheeks flushed. "Just wondering." She mumbled. Suddenly my phone came flying towards me. I snatched it out of the air, purely by instinct. "Your boss called. You should probably go see him and tell him what happened."

I shook off Krystal's sudden weirdness with a nod of my head and grabbed my trench coat off the back of the couch. "Yea you're right. Tell the boys I said bye and I'll be back in a day or so with groceries, ok?"

"Ok."

I walked to the door, but stopped short, looking over my shoulder slightly at my suddenly quiet cousin. " Is there something you need to tell me, Krystal?"

There was a breif and awkward pause before her retort came, short and blunt. "No. Just...get to work. You're late as it is."

I sighed and pulled on the zipper on my trench coat. "Yea..ok."


	11. Chapter 11

**~Disclaimer; I do not own TMNT but please enjoy the story! :3~**

**Author's note; Few fiery scenes in this chapter. Just a friendly warning for the wary! Please still enjoy!**

**Chapter 11**

The lair had become unusually quiet in the past few days, with the exception of the giggles that occasionally erupted from Sammy's lips somewhere deep inside Donny's lab. Leo almost lived in the dojo all day, only poking his head out here and there to check on his brothers, Sammy and even Krystal when she was in one of her "good moods". Mickey didn't seem to know that a world existed outside of 4 corners of his TV and was stuck inside video game world, insist on beating some new game. And Raphael...no one was really sure what Raphael really did. But no one seemed to care either.

Krystal sat upside down on one of the couches, running tan fingers through pin straight blond hair. She clicked through the channels on the TV, bored out of her mind at the extreme lack of activity. From behind her the lab door opened and out came Sammy held closely in the arms of Donny, whose grin ran up his face all the way to his deep brown eyes. The usually shy girl sat down next to Krystal, shortly followed by Donny, who raised an eye ridge at the bored girl as his grin trickled off his face.

"Bored much, are we?"

Krystal nodded her head.

" If you need something to do we have several things we need help on in the lab you could help us on.." Sammy offered, pushing back her dark hair and running her thin fingers across the light freckles lining her cheek.

Krystal just laughed. "Right. Let's see what kind of catastrophic disaster can occur when you let the _smart one _in the lad..."

Donny tapped on Sammy's shoulder with a concerned look. "I believe she's right. I'm not sure if I really want her touching anything in my lab..."

The small girl shrugged. "I'm just trying to help. Perhaps you can get a job?"

"I'm not that desperate!" Krystal laughed. She turned to position herself normally on the couch and waved a hand at the lovebirds. "I'll be ok. Just continue doing whatever it is you lovers do."

Both of the "lovers" blushed heavily. "We're not..." Sammy started.

"We're just..." Donny continued. At the same moment the two looked at each other, their blush deepening before they looked away and said at the same time. "...You know..."

Krystal snorted. "Yea. I know. Have fun making out."

It looked like Donny was going to protest when a deep, jersey accented voice spoke up from the doorway. "Leave 'em alone. They're awkward enough without ya teasin' 'em." Everyone turned to see Raph wipe off a long trail of grease on his shell before looking up at Donny with a grumpy glare. "Stupid bike won't start. Can ya?..."

"On it." The purple clad turtle answered, taking Sammy's small hand in his large one and running out of the room. The hothead turtle let them out without a word and walked over to where Krystal sat.

"Why do ya have ta do that?" He asked, throwing himself over the top of the couch and landing next to the mischievous girl. She opened her mouth to answer when Raphael reached over and snatched the remote out of her lap, flipping the channel till he came to a wrestling match.

"Watch where you put your hands! That remote was awfully close to my-"

"Don't flatter yaself."

Krystal looked taken aback, if only from a moment, at the interruption. Her long face twisted into smirk as she faced the turtle. That's right. You're hopelessly in love with a woman who doesn't even like you back."

Raphael paused the TV and turned to face the quick witted girl. His fists stayed clenched by his side. "If she didn't like me, she wouldn't 've kissed me."

Krystal shrugged and snatched the remote from Raphael's hand. "That's not what I heard."

There was a brief silence as the TLC channel played What Not to Wear in the background. Raphael scooted closer. "What do ya mean?"

"I mean a few days ago, before she left, we had a sort of...talk about it. She seemed to avoid the subject altogether with a sort of venom. What did you do to make her hate you so much?"

Rapahel's face skewed into a mix of anger and sorrow. "She doesn't hate me! We just...fight. A lot."

"Hey if you want to live in your own little perfect world, be my guest." Krystal raised her hands up in defense, then shrugged her broad shoulders. "I'm just giving you it how I see it. And thats a desperate boy chasing after a girl he can't have."

"Shut the hell up."

"I'm just trying to help!"

"Well you ain't helpin'!"

"That's cause you won't let me!"

Raphael stood to his feet, hands clenched at his side. "Shut the hell..up."

Krystal copied Raphael and stood in front of him, her face only inches from his. "Make me, Raphael. I bet you can't. Prove to me that I'm wrong. Make me-"

Before she could finish her sentence she felt the hothead's rough lips pressed up against hers. She immediately froze in place until the turtle pulled away and lifted up his arms to hold her by her upper shoulders. "Point proven?" He snarled.

"You bet your green ass not. Get over here." Krystal pulled the turtle back into her and ran her tongue into his mouth. He immediately kissed her back, the moment intense and more passionate then either was used to. Hands rubbed themselves up and down each other, feeling every inch they could reach. Raphael turned his head to get a better angle before picking the tall girl up and carrying her as her long tan legs wrapped themselves around his waist. The two entangled bodies disappeared into the darkness of Raphael's room, the door shutting tightly behind them.

**Author's note; Teehee plot twist. 3:) Anyone out there mad yet? Thoughts, comments, critiques? Thank you everyone whose reviewed! **


	12. Chapter 12

**~Disclaimer; Not the owner of TMNT! Sad right? Anyway enjoy!:3~**

Chapter 12

I walked into the boy's lair, surprised to see no one waiting for me. "Hey guys!" I called, walking to the kitchen and throwing the groceries on the table. "Guys?!' I called. Still no answer. I smiled and rolled my eyes, pulling a couple of pizza boxes out from under my arm and and opened it up. "I have pizza!"

Suddenly Mickey's head popped out of his room. I had really started to wonder what it was he did in there to keep him so very busy all the time... "Long time no see!" He said happily, running at me and tackling me with a hug. I felt him steal a piece of pizza from behind me as we hugged.

"Hey Josephine. How's work been?" Leo gave me a gentle, brothery hug, then took a piece of pizza and stood next to me.

"Eh, work. It is nice to be back though. You know, getting my mind off things and being able to keep busy."

"Josephine!" I turned my head to see Donny enter the room right behind Sammy, who ran up to me and gave me a bear hug. For such a small girl, she sure had some arm muscles. "I'm so glad your back!" She grinned, letting go.

"Nice to see you too, Sammy." I gasped. Donny simply nodded his head at me, taking a piece of pizza in one hand, and Sammy's hand in the other. I couldn't help but let a grin land on my face at the sight. They were a cute couple, even if they didn't realize it. And thinking of couples...

"Where's Raphael?" I asked Leo, as causally as I could manage.

"I fixed his bike earlier today, so he might be out driving." Donny suggested. Sammy's eyes suddenly darkened. She tapped on her turtle boy's shoulder and got up on her toes to whisper in his "ear". Donny's dark eyes widened. "Oh." he mumbled. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Oh?"

Donny started to examine his feet intensively while Sammy kind of hide behind one of his well toned arms. "Yea...oh...I forgot I-uh...I left an experiment in my lab unfinished."

I crossed my arms. "Oh yea? What is it?"

"It's a sort of...well...Sammy?"

"It's a kind of..." Sammy spoke from around Donatello's arms, never once meeting my eyes. "You know that kind of...thing..."

"Yea that thing!" Donny added.

"Very delicate."

"Probabaly shouldn't be left alone any longer."

"We need to go check on it."

"Yes! Go and...bye."

The two love doves ducked into the hallway and were gone in a matter of seconds. I rose an eyebrow at Leo and Mickey. The youngest ignored me completely while the oldest shrugged.

"No idea."

"Where's Krystal?"

Mickey looked up from his pizza, realization sweeping across his features. He grabbed one of the pizza boxes and quickly retreated into his room, calling out behind him, "Oh yea I...uh...forgot to pause my video game! be back after I beat this level...or two...or the entire game..."

I turned to look at Leo with a puzzled expression. "Alright, who died?"

Leo returned my look and shrugged. "Nobody as far as I know. I have no idea why...oh. That would explain the...oh." The oldest put down his pizza and sighed, running a hand across his face.

"Leo? What is it?..." At this point I wasn't sure if I really wanted to hear what was to come or not. Either way I knew Leo would tell me.

He laid and hand on my shoulder and sighed. "Don't shoot the messenger, ok? But...well while you were away Krystal kind of...I mean Raphael sort of..."

"Hey Josephine!" I heard Krystal shout at me from up the stairs. I laughed at her as she ran down the tackle me with a hug. "You've been gone for so long! What have you been up to?!"

"Hide'n from us prolly." I heard a jersey accented voice mumble from up the stairs. Raph made his way down the steps and stood in front of me, slightly awkwardly. I mentally sighed after looking his face over. He looked upset, mad and...was that a little bit of guilt I saw? We'd probably have to talk everything over privately later today and then everything would be fine again. Everything would be back to normal, back to peaceful, back to loving, back to me and him and-

"Oh be nice!" Krystal laughed, rising up on her toes and kissing the hothead on his lips, sparing no amount of tongue. I felt a knot form in my chest. It took every bit of self control I had to not drop kick the both of the right then and there.

"You two are a..." I asked, hoping, praying my voice wouldn't break.

"Yep." Krystal grinned. Her smile disappeared as a look of concern flushed over her. "This doesn't bother you does it? I mean before you left we talked and you said-"

"I know what I said!" I snapped. Leo, Raph and Krystal all looked taken aback at my outburst. I shook me head into a weak smile. "It...it's fine. I have nothing against it. Why should I?" I asked the question rather directly, look Raphael in his burning amber eyes pointedly. "Why should I?"

"I don't know." He answered plaintively.

There was a long painful silence that took over the space between us. After too long I looked away and shook my head slightly. "I'm going to the dojo to meditate. Good luck with...with you two." And before another word could be said I disappeared around the corner, fighting tears that I knew were all too inevitable.

**Author's note; Sad, I know...but don't get downcast! I have a surprise waiting for you guys just around the corner as sort of a cheer up chapter tha I'm sure NO ONE saw coming! :3 **


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Are you sure about this?"

"It's your choice. I told you, if you want, I can go in for you. I wouldn't want someone as special as you caught in the crossfire of this war..."

Sammy blushed and looked away. A small smile crept onto her slim face. "I'm going out. Be back soon.." She small framed girl leaned over and kissed Donny on the cheek and opened the door to the lab, stepping into the lair's living room. She looked both ways before slipping out and closing the door gently behind her. She made a bee line to the kitchen and grabbed a box of pizza, turning around to run back to the lab. She got about halfway there when she heard a sharp laugh that made her jump about 3 feet to the right. She looked around but saw no one. The laugh was definitely feminine, but didn't seem to belong to either Krystal or Josephine.

"Shhh not so loud!" Mickey said, laughter just barely being suppressed in his voice. Sammy laid the pizza box on the couch and snuck back to Michelangelo's room, just crouched outside his doorway.

"Psh! Ya just say that 'cause I won... _again_. Admit it. I am SO much better at any and every game out there. And at skatin'. And at burpin'." The voice from inside Mickey's room was definitely female. And who ever she was, she had a slight accent, which Sammy immediately placed as a Cockney accent.

"Whoa whoa whoa duddette. Skating? Burping? You're so on! Just let me check to see if the coast is clear and we'll see if you can skate the best kind of pipe; the sewer kind." Mickey's footsteps sounded and, before Sammy could move, the door opened. He froze in place and met Sammy's dangerous suspicious blue eyes.

"Whose in there?" she questioned immediately.

"No one."

"Mickey..."

"That's me." The youngest pointed to his chest proudly and gave a cheesy smile.

"Spill. Who are you hiding?" Behind her, Donatello opened the lab door and poked out his head.

"Is everything ok?"

"Mickey's hiding someone. A girl."

"No I'm not!"

"Ya ain't 'ave ta hide me no more, Mike's. I got 'dis." A smooth slim hand ran it's way past Michelangelo's shell and into the light stepped a girl, maybe 16, with skin a creamy chocolaty in color. She was dressed in super short dark jean short and a large, loosely fitted hoodie with brightly colored stripes running across her torso. Her hair was long and wavy with blond extensions poking out here and there, and was covered by a large skater hat that was tilted sideways on her head. Daring chestnut eyes challenged the two standing in front of her.

"Name's Rue. I've been 'idin' out in Mike's room fer a good long time now, and it sure did take ya long enough ta find me'." She stuck out her hand to shake, but when Donny reached out to shake it she drew it back, twisted around him and picked up the youngest brother's skateboard that was sitting leaned up against the wall. With a confident wink she looked at Mickey and grinned.

"Met ya in tha sewers, slow poke!" And with that she got on the board, opened up the wall and rode off. Donny raised an eye ridge at Mickey, who grabbed a board with flowers on it from behind him and rode off in a hurry.

"Explain when I get back bro! Got a girl to beat. Cowabunga dude!"

* * *

The sound of skateboard hitting the concrete echoed throughout the sewers. In front of him, Mickey saw Rue ride up the rounded wall and back flip off, landing solidly back on her board. She rode her board straight for a bit before flipping the board up in the air in a billion and one ways in a matter of a few seconds.

"Dude you just like 3 Heelflips in a row!"

Rue slowed down to let Mickey catch up to her. "Pa-lllease. That was more dan that! I did a freakin' Heelflip followed by a kickflip which lead into-"

Mickey laughed. "Yea, I get it. Show off. But watch this." The youngest turtle pulled forward and started making his skateboard dance back and forth on the pavement. Rue laughed behind him.

"Go turtle, go turtle go! She yelled, doing a little dance on her board. Mikey smiled mid air and ended up laying on his but on the concrete. Rue laughed harder and rode up beside him, pulling a caveman to get off her board. She put her hand out and pulled the wrecked teenager to his feet. He dusted himself off and crossed his arms.

"Not fair, you distracted me!"

"Oh, so I'm a distraction now?" Rue ran a finger under Mickey's round face playfully and winked. "I like that."

Mickey grinned ear to ear, but tried his best to act mad. "And you stole my lucky board! This crappy one's yours."

"So I'm a distraction and I 'ave an unlucky board? Yer sendi' me some mixed signals 'ere Mike's." Gave the turtle back his board and went to go pick up her own when Mickey's face dropped.

"Uh Rue? What are we gonna do now? I mean, about back home...I don't know how well the guys are gonna except you just coming in all of the sudden, especially since I've been hiding you and all..."

Rue got on her board and coasted over to Mickey, stopping just short of his side. "Ya ain't been 'indin' me, Mike's. I been 'indin' out myselfs and it ain't none of their business anyways. I ain't got no better of a place ta stay."

Mickey thought for a bit, then nodded his head. "Yeah...yeah you're right. Besides, if you go I go. Speaking of home, we should probably be heading back...it's almost dinner and we have a bit of explaining to do."

Rue grinned. "Race ya?"

"You're on, dudette!"

**Author's note; Now who expected that? :3 I've had that planned for quite a bit...you didn't think Mickey was hiding back in his room for no reason at all that whole time did you? :3**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

It was perhaps the most uncomfortable dinner I had ever been at. Mickey and Rue sat on one corner of the table, cautiously looking from face to face to try and read everyone's reaction to the surprise that Mickey had been keeping a girl in his room. We were all used to Mickey hiding cats and the occasional dog in his room till someone found out and made him get rid of it but this? Hiding away a girl? This was just crazy.

"So...where do you...uh...come from, Rue?" Leo asked, spoonful of soup hovering over his lips. He still hadn't taken a single bite since dinner had started.

"Mike's closet. Nice place. Ya probably wouldn't like it though..." Leo raised an eye ridge.

"Uh, she means London." Mickey put in, giving Rue a shove in the ribs. She laughed playfully.

"Why do you call Michelangelo, Mike?" Donny inquired. Rue shrugged her shoulders and shoved another spoonful of soup into her mouth.

"I like it."

"Why were ya in my lil' bro's closet?" Raph asked, finally pointing out the one thing we were all thinking.

"Ran away from home. Was needin' a place ta stay. Met cha bro at some skating park an' totally showed 'im up. We met a few more times at tha park for he up and told me who, or what, he actually was and offered me a place ta stay."

On the other side of the table sat Raphael and Krystal. She had one hand in his and was close enough to him to basically be on his lap. After the little exchange with our new housing partner Krystal leaned over and whispered something into his ear that made him grin all the way to his amber eyes. He whispered something back to her before kissing her ear, earning him a glare from Leo.

"What?" Raph said, seeing the glare. "I can't show 'fection ta the girl I'm datin', but tha two lovebirds over there can be all lovey dovey as they want?!" He gestured towards Sammy and Donny who sat to my right. Donny had his arm around Sammy, who sat cuddled into his chest. That is, till Raphael mentioned it. Then she sat up slightly and Donny moved his hand away, both blushing. I think I saw tears start to form in Sammy's eyes. The poor girl. She really didn't like getting involved in any sort of confrontation.

"You need to watch your temper." Leo snapped. I had never seen his blue eyes turn gray that fast before.

"I think you need to watch yer mouth." Raphael spat back. It was times like these that I wished Splinter hadn't had taken up April on her offer to go to the farm for a "chill week" about a month or so ago. He wouldn't be back for another week and there was no way any of this could get any better without him.

"Leo's right Raph. Relax. And Leo, stay off his case. Just...eat." Donny spoke up. I'm not sure if everyone listened to him, at least for the next few minutes, out of logic or because Donny never spoke up like that before. It surprised us all.

But before too long the peaceful silence was broken by Raph mumbling under his breath. "It's not like anyone else here loves me..."

I stood to my feet, shoving the table and making all the bowls shake. "No one loves you? Is that what you think? Well why don't you try being in my shoes for once in the whole damn time I've known you. Everything's always about you and why you're so miserable and how horribly off you are. Do you ever stop to think about anyone else ever, Raph? Hm? How about how I feel about you siting over there, right in front of me, kissing my cousin? How about seeing everyone here hook up and the guy that I loved isn't mine and won't be mine. Ever. Because he's too pigheaded. What about..."

"Excuse me? Ya think fer a moment-"

"Shut the _hell_ up and for once just listen. Just listen to what I have to say, for once. Ok? If you would look past your filter of misery, of how horrible everything is for you, you'd see something good when it's looking you in the freaking face. Don't you dare say no one loves you. Don't you dare." By this time I had walked up and met Raphael halfway past the table. We now stood, so close I could feel his breathe on me, hot and steamy. The smell of beer was strong on his breathe, and the worst part was, it still didn't bother me. Through it all. It still didn't bother me one little bit. "Don't...Don't you _dare _say that _ever _again, ok?" My voice was now broken and tears where trailing down both my cheeks and his. "Because Raphael-"

"Don't say it. Please." He interrupted. "Don't."

"...I love you." I whispered, so quietly I wasn't sure if he really heard me, or just knew what was coming. I didn't give him a chance to reply. In the next few seconds I left the room and made my way towards the piano, leaving him standing there in the background.

* * *

"She's beautiful in her simple little way  
She don't have too much to say when she gets mad  
She understands she don't let go of anything  
Even when the pain gets really bad  
Guess I should've been more like that"

I tasted the salty drops running down my cheeks, felt my fingers quiver and shake with adrenaline from the exchange at the dinner table. But that didn't matter. I sang on, knowing it'd feel better afterwards. It always did.

"You had it all for a pretty little while  
And some how you made me smile when I was sad  
You took a chance on a bruised and beaten heart  
Then you realized you wanted what you had  
I guess I should've been more like that

I should have held on to my pride  
I should have never let you lie  
I guess you got what you deserved  
I guess I should've been more like her"

I heard someone enter the room and immediately tagged it as Leo, just from hearing the way he closed the door and sat behind me. I guess I had picked up a few things from hanging out with the guys anyway. I pretended not to notice and sang on.

"Forgiving you, she's stronger than I am  
You don't look much like a man from where I'm at  
It's plain to see desperation showed it's truth  
You love her and she loves you with all she has  
I guess I should've been more like that

I should have held on to my pride  
I should have never let you lie  
I guess you got what you deserved  
I guess I should've been more like her

She's beautiful in her simple, little way."

Silence settled after the last note was sung. My shoulder's quaked as my wall finally came crumbling down. Leo tried to hug me from behind but I pushed him away.

"I'm moving to Manhattan." I said, controlling myself enough to speak. "My boss told me today I had the option to opt out but the pay there is much better. I'm getting the job transfer. I'm a detective now. Just like I always wanted to be."

Leo's shock spoke a thousand words. I got up from my seat and hugged him for everything it was worth, squeezing him like I never had before. He squeezed back. "I'll miss you guys." I said in his ear. He simply just nodded his head. I pulled away and gave him a weak smile. "I'm going to go get stuff packed. Can you tell the guys for me? I'm not a fan of goodbyes."

Leo simply nodded once more. I brushed myself off and walked past the oldest who stood there inshock, made my way past the dinner table and out of the lair, for possibly the last time ever.

**Author's note; Wow...that got a bit intense there...I like writing those scenes way to much. :3 Oh but it's not the end. Not yet. You have one more chapter! Please R&R!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note; Rewrote a piece of this chapter so it doesn't end so sadly.  
**

**Chapter 15**

"Just leave the papers there, I'll get to them later. I need you to reopen this case - give this file to Johnson, it has all the proof and necessary elements to open this back up for deeper investigaton. I want all the information you have on it after reopening it on my desk in an hour. Understood?"

The cop in training nodded her head fiercly and took off to finish the list of work I gave her. I sighed and sat back in my seat, running a thin hand over my tired face. I looked out the glass window at the busy street below my apartment and watched as the people walked by. I missed being able to look up at the night sky back in Oregon. Here the streetlights shown brighter then anything else you could see in the night. Everything seemed so dull and dreary, so fake, so boring...

The loud beep from my computer brought me back to reality. I opened the Apple to see a face time request and felt a grin sneak onto my face. Donny's name flashed on the screen before me. I got up and closed the door and the blinds and clicked the accept button. Three green faces and one small human one appeared in front of me.

"Josephine! Ohmygoshitsbeenforeverhowhav eyoubeenthankgoodnessyou'resafewewereallworriedsick!"

I laughed. "Sammy slow down. I'm fine. Really."

Sammy's cheeks turning s light pink as her grin grew. Behind her Leo laughed a bit, finding a spot of room to speak. "How's Manhattan treating you?"

"Great." I lied. "I really love it here. There's plenty of work and new things to do everyday. The people are a bit sketchy but thats kind of expected in my line of work."

"Just stay safe duddette. You're expected back here for the holidays." Mickey pipped in.

I laughed. "I'll work on it. How have things been back there?"

"Boring." Donny smacked Mickey's shoulder and shook his head.

"We've been fine. Rue left the other day to try and get a job. Mickey's been really bored without someone to play video games with..."

"But she'll be back by tomorrow!" Mickey added in.

"Good. Can't have a bored Michelangelo...that sounds dangerous..." I laughed as Mickey threw his arms in the air and shrugged, a huge smile spread arcoss his round features. My grin ran off my face. "How's Krystal been?" I hoped they wouldn't guess the real meaning of the question, but Leo crushed that with his next comment.

"Krystal's been gone a lot and Raph's been doing...well how Raph does..." All the faces on the screen swiveled to glare at Leo, who shrugged. "What? I was just anwsering the real question I knew she was thinking anyway..."

"It's ok guys, I was kind of hinting at it." I said calling them off of Leo's case. Donny rubbed the back of his neck.

"Raph's been...almost nonexistent. Him and Krystal kind of broke up after you left."

"Wait , why?" I asked after picking my jaw up off the foor. The brothers all turned to Sammy, who seemed to shrink in her seat.

"Why are you looking at me?! I know just about as much of it as you guys do!"

"Um, what?" I repeated. Leo sighed.

"We're not sure. All any of us know is we woke up late at night to hear them screaming bloody murder at each other. Next thing we knew Krystal was out the door and Raph had locked himself in his room. We haven't seen or heard of Krystal since then and Raph has been more moody and distant then ever."

"Things kind of fell apart without you here..."Mickey added, earning him a slap from both of his older brother's on his shoulders.

My cell phone in my pocket started to vibrate. I took it out and looked at the caller ID. Johnson. I sighed. "I'm sorry guys, I've got to take this. Work stuff." The guys' faces fell, though I knew they all understood.

"Talk to you later?" Donny offered hopefully. I nodded my head.

"Yea, talk later."

I closed the laptop and answered the phone, my bosses proud voice ringing in my ears.

"Josephine. You are one _brilliantly _exceptional detective. How did you make these connections? Where did you get this evidence? You know what? Never mind. Just get your ass to my office pronto. We have a case to reopen."

"Yes sir." I flipped my phone closed and opened the door of my apartment, pausing to take in everything. I heard another beep come from my computer, so I flipped it on and started throwing my needed supplies into my bag.

"Hey Josephine."

I froze in place at the sound of the jersey accented voice. I slowly turned around to see a red bandana fill the screen on my computer. "Raph?"

"Yea. Have time ta talk?"

I scrunched my lips and continued packing. "You have 5 minutes."

I heard Raph sigh on the computer. "Jus' wanted ta apologize 'bout how everything ended up. I really didn't mean fer my temper ta hurt ya, but I don't blame ya if ya hate me 'cause of it now..."

I gave a small smile and sat down at the computer, staring strait into the camera. "I'm sorry too. It wasn't all your fault. Tell you what, I'll let your mistakes pass if you'll let mine. Deal?"

Raph gave a slow smirk. "Deal. Ya gonna move back now?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm sorry but I have work here to do. They need me here." I saw Raph's face start to fall, so I spoke up again. "But I'll be back for any breaks I get. You can't scare me away permanently."

Raph grinned. "Good."

I looked down at the clock and sighed. "I've really got to get going. My boss wants me in his office like now. I'll talk to you later k? Friends?"

Raph nodded and sat back in his seat. "Ya. Friends. Talk ta ya later."

I switched off the computer with a sigh and exited the room, pausing to look everything over in the doorway. Things from here could only get better.

The End

**Author's note; That's it! :3 Hope ou guys liked the story. Please to R&R! Oh and I want to know, who thinks I should make a sequel? I can end it here or make a second one, it's up to you guys! :3**


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